The invention relates to a connecting system for connecting together insulating housings for housing electrical plug and socket type connections.
Connecting systems for electric units, such as connector sockets etc. have been known such as described in German Published Unexamined patent application (DOS) No. 30 46 758, wherein the housings accommodating the socket are detachably linked together by detent means that can be engaged with one another, in the manner of a tongue-and-groove joint. Projections, which are formed at the side of the housing or are constituted by attachments that can be clamped thereon, are provided for retaining the socket in the housing, particularly for holding the socket while it is being connected to a plug. Housings for electric sockets constructed in this way require a relatively large structural expenditure on account of the separate means for holding the socket and for joining the housings together.
It is an object of the invention to provide a connecting system of the type discussed above which, with satisfactory efficiency and handling, can be realized by simple means.
This object has been attained according to the invention providing that such a system comprises a plurality of insulating housing means, each including: detent means and engaging means for engaging the detent means of an adjacent insulating housing to connect together adjacent insulating housings, wherein the detent means of each housing includes retaining means for retaining within an adjacent housing one of the plug and socket of the plug-and-socket-type connectors.
Additional advantageous features relate to specific constructional details described below in conjunction with the illustrated preferred embodiment of the invention.
The advantages primarily attained by this invention reside in that the housings can be clipped together in a simple way by molded-on detent noses.
At the same time, the detent noses serve for holding and retaining the connector sockets in the housing so that no additional locking means are required any longer. Any desired number of housings can be joined together into a functional unit in a simple way with the use of the detent means, whereupon the entire unit can then be attached, for example, to an installation wall of an automotive vehicle by way of the still remaining, free detent nose. It is furthermore advantageous that only a one-piece basic element is utilized, simplifying warehousing, and that, in correspondence with requirements, for example, a ten-pole, twenty-pole, etc. unit can be produced.
Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, an embodiment in accordance with the present invention.